A House Beyond Horizon

Chapter 2

~Gumaan nahin, yaqeen hai, mera yaqeen karo...
Koi kisi ka nahin hai, mera yaqeen karo - Jaun Elia~

Hamida was skeptical hearing the noises coming from inside. Might be some gossip hungry aunties who came to bother Nani with their questions and fake sympathy.

She had no energy to deal with them and also to go to the shop. It was a part time job at a nearby flower shop she took when she decided to start her graduation degree. Nani used to sew and iron clothes, also Raaya used her talent of embroidery to make some money. That's how they took the burden of their education and everything.

As she came near the main door, she could decipher the voice of a man and Raaya. They all stopped talking as she entered. She had no idea how to respond to them, Hamida never considered she would be meeting her sister this soon that too with her new husband, Idris Usman.

It was Raaya who came near her with a small smile to give her a hug. The worry, the stress she had for her sister rolled down from her cheeks as her tears as Raaya did the same.

"I'm taking her to our room."

Hamida announced to no one in particular, her eyes ignoring Idris Usman fully just because she remembered how ignorant and upset he was looking the other day, at the Nikah.

"Tell me how are you? Are they treating you well? Is he good with you? Has he said-"

Raaya held her arm and made her sit on the bed, "Calm down, Hamida!" She took a seat beside her. "They all are fine with me."

"You don't have to lie to me if there's any kind of problem. I know no one will be happy with this sudden marriage, especially your so-called husband."

Raaya nodded, "I know. And that's why I think we have to give everyone a little time to adjust with this. It's equally difficult for each one of us. I can empathize with Idris, you should too."

"I don't have time for this empathy. Men's lives are never hard, Raaya, you know that. Moving on for them is so easy, it's difficult for us women…"

"That's where you're wrong, Hamida. Everyone has their own struggles, nobody has it easy-"

A knock broke their conversation in the middle as Idris peeked inside,"I'm going to work. See you in the evening."

Raaya nodded in affirmation as Idris Usman lingered at the threshold for sometime, and then he was gone.

***

Idris flipped the page, the machines killing all kinds of silences around him. He had to check this important file but all he could focus on was a voice in his head. The voice of his wife, Raaya Sultan.

I can empathize with Idris, you should too.

He knew Raaya for half a year, when Kashif and her marriage got fixed, though they rarely met. Idris had an idea how selfless she was but he never considered her to be this thoughtful.

Kashif used to talk about her in his friend circle, he never liked the way he used to, because it was never in a good sense. In Kashif's opinion, Raaya was silly, too much emotional and mostly dumb.

In honesty, Idris always saw her with Kashif's eyes. The other night he felt that Kashif was never wrong as she took the wrong meaning of his words but today her words were sensible.

"Sir, the shipment is here."

The worker broke the chain of his thoughts as Idris strode behind him to check on the shipment. His father started this cotton textile business and now Idris was trying to assist him. He never liked a desk job so the industry was the best place for him.